Minister Mfeketo launches Thembelihle Village in the City of Tshwane
Thembelihle Social Housing Village is an example of how to integrate mixed housing in the inner city as a way of undoing the apartheid legacy of racialised spatial planning, says Human Settlements Minister Nomaindiya Mfeketo.
Minister Mfeketo was speaking today at the launch the R300 million Thembelihle Social Housing in the City of Tshwane.
“This provides a wonderful opportunity for beneficiaries who now get to stay close to areas of work, reducing the often high transportation costs that come with being located in the periphery of our cities,” she said.
Thembelihle Village provides affordable rental accommodation to over 2 000 people who occupy the 733 mixed type units consisting of bachelor, one, two and three bedrooms.
It targets people in the low to medium income bracket and who earn between R3 500 and R15 000 a month. The project consists of eleven 3 to 4 storey walk-up blocks and six tower blocks of 10 to 11 storeys and is situated in the Tshwane Central Business District.
“People are also closer to better facilities in the CBD like state of the art hospitals, schools and other amenities. This is the surest measure of changing people’s lives for the better and we are proud of that as a Government,” said Minister Mfeketo.
This R300 million project is socially inclusive as it has retail space, social amenities and rental accommodation that can serve as an example for urban innovation.
Minister Mfeketo was accompanied by Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements Dikgang Moiloa and the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga.
MEC Moiloa acknowledged the progress made in providing social housing to the people of Gauteng but also cautioned that “there is still a long way to go as the housing backlog in our country generally and our province particularly, keeps growing”.
“This situation therefore calls upon innovation and boldness if we are to succeed. But we also have to be scientific in our approach and this means not applying a one size fits-all approach to housing delivery,” he added.
Executive Mayor Msimanga also expressed his satisfaction about the development at Thembelihle Village.
“We have a backlog of 220 000 houses and 183 informal settlements in Tshwane, but it gives one pleasure to see that this establishment provides an opportunity for people who would have never thought of living in the city a chance to get decent affordable accommodation,” Executive Mayor Msimanga said.
Earlier, Minister Mfeketo visited residents at the Village and one of the beneficiaries, Raschelle Naidoo (45) originally from Mpumalanga, arrived in Pretoria last year August with her 5 year - old daughter looking for a job.
They lived on the streets for some days before she and her daughter were accommodated at a shelter for women in Pretoria. She lived in that shelter for four months.
Later she was hired as a cleaner at Thembelihle Village and was advised to apply at the village to rent, and last November, she was informed that her application was successful. She is renting a bachelor room where she lives with her partner Edwin and her daughter.
“I am at peace. I have a stable job, meal and I don’t have to travel because I work where I stay and my child attends Northwood Independent School which is situated across the street from Thembelihle Village,” said Naidoo.
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